WHAT THEY’RE ADDRESSING Of the 6.7 million people in Haiti facing food insecurity, 1.5 million are facing severe food insecurity. The Global Hunger Index notes that Haiti is one of only three countries with an “extremely alarming” rating. Undernutrition leads to lower cognitive development in children, and hunger causes under performance in school.

The Children’s Feeding Initiative first reaches children with vital nutrition for their immediate needs, and then, through developed supporting programs that engage the family, provides long-term solutions to food security in their family and community. This model includes an agricultural program to train farmers, a women’s empowerment program and access to clean water. Feeding primarily happens in schools, as research shows nutrition programs in schools increase and stabilize attendance. In 2013, 1.2 million meals were produced by local Haitian farmers, women saw a 240% income increase and 145,000 children were fed. LEARN MORE.

We have maximized the resources we are given to fight poverty and malnutrition. Our global supply chain allows us distribute to a network of partners; this core competency in logistics means we can provide meals to more than 145,000 children below industry cost averages. Kevin Rose, Program Director

WHAT THEY’RE ADDRESSING According to the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), anemia affects an estimated 38% of children 6-59 months (70% for children less than 12 months of age), 17% of women of reproductive age, and 20% of pregnant women. Despite a countrywide vitamin A supplementation program in Rwanda, 26% of children under six months of age and 7% of women of reproductive age suffer from vitamin A deficiency.

In 2008, the world’s top economists analyzed the costs and benefits of various public health interventions. Their conclusion: fortification is one of the most cost-effective interventions that exist to address micronutrient malnutrition. Food fortification is the practice of adding essential vitamins and minerals (e.g. iron, vitamin A, folic acid, zinc, iodine, B vitamins) to staple foods to improve their nutritional content. With this as their foundation, PHC and the Ministry of Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining priorities for the development of a national fortification program including support to create a national strategy to guide fortification efforts, raise awareness on the issue, create a mandate for fortification, institutionalize regular program monitoring and reporting, and reinforce the capacity of industry to fortify. Based on a cost-benefit analysis conducted for Rwanda, which reveals estimated savings if fortification is implemented, PHC estimates economic savings of over $50 million a year. Infant mortality rate has the potential to drop by 65% and maternal mortality rate by 49%, an achievement that would allow Rwanda to meet and surpass the MDG 4 target. LEARN MORE.air max 95s

It’s not a sexy world health issue; it’s about the nuts and bolts of putting together a healthy population. David Dodson, Founder, Project Healthy Children

WHAT THEY’RE ADDRESSING An estimated 30,000 children die from malnutrition in Maharashtra each year. Malnutrition also impedes children’s behavioral and cognitive development, educability, reproductive health, and future work ability. Childhood malnutrition in India is often caused inability to afford nutritionally balanced food and is worsened by a lack of awareness of childhood dietary needs.

A traditional laddoo is a small, ball-shaped snack. The Ladoo Project has developed a high-nutrition variant of this familiar snack that is inexpensive and provides a vital combination of protein and iron—essential nutrients for healthy, growing children. As the laddoo is a familiar food throughout India and easily made with local ingredients, it is well accepted by parents and children alike. Design Impact, in partnership with the Deep Griha Society, is using the laddoo to reduce malnourishment rates around Pune, India. After six months, approximately 50% of the children assessed as ‘severely malnourished’ at the beginning of the program had moved into the ‘World Health Organization height/weight-for-age’ nutritional safe zone. Now, nine-months after the initial pilot, laddoos continue to be distributed; supported by both parents and other local funders. LEARN MORE.

The Laddoo Project is an excellent example of what can happen when design is applied at a local level to effect social change. Working on the ground for 16 months enabled our Fellows to co-develop an appropriate and effective solution to malnourishment. This investment of time empowered local ownership of the change process ensuring its future sustainability. Ramsey Ford, Program Director

WHAT THEY’RE ADDRESSING The child malnutrition rate in Haiti is 34.2%, reflecting low food availability and access. About 40% of children eat enough food each day, and no children eat from all 3 food groups daily. High rates of pneumonia (62%) and diarrhea (15%) also contribute to poor child growth.

MTI facilitates Haiti Foundation of Hope’s community health program by providing technical support to assess health issues, find resources, and build connections. Unlike other NGOs in this space, MTI provides very little funding and instead provides education and training to community leaders to assess health issues and measure results. The program leverages almost exclusively volunteers, with forty local community leaders for six villages. In Haiti, MTI has seen the number of children eating a minimum number of times per day increase from 55% to 68.4%, the number of pregnant women eating an extra daily meal increase from 66% to 86%, households with a home garden increase from 45% to 84% and children with mild, moderate, or severe underweight decrease from 31.6% to 21.1%. LEARN MORE.

Our greatest strength is strong local leadership and ownership, motivated by service rather than payment. Slow, steady growth is rooted in the community.Steve Sethi, Program Director

Action Against Hunger’s strategic approach to fighting hunger has developed since 1979, working closely with the scientific and NGO community to research and implement best practice, scalable solutions. In D.R. Congo since 1997, Action Against Hunger has worked closely with the Ministry of Health to build local capacity, strengthen health systems, and provide emergency care. They’ve trained thousands of health workers, equipped hundreds of hospitals and health centers, and provided lifesaving therapeutic care for tens of thousands of severely malnourished children. In 1993, they developed a revolutionary milk formula that slashed mortality rates by 75% for severe malnutrition. In 1997, the milk formula helped create Plumpy’nut, the first ever ready-to-use therapeutic food, which brings cure rates up to 90-95%. LEARN MORE.

Despite the difficult conditions, ACF has proven that methods of intervention and collaboration leave us very confident in the effectiveness of our programs. There are many improvements to make, but we are proud of our crucial role in empowering the national government to deliver successful, long-term programs to treat malnutrition. Marlou den Hollander, Program Director

The Hunger & Poverty Experts

The Leadership Council is an honorary board comprised of a diverse group of experts that will collectively determine the winners of the CLASSY Awards in this cause sector. Their unique perspective and valuable insight establishes this recognition as one of the highest honors in the social sector.

One thought on “Nutrition Services & Treatment: CLASSY Awards Top 5”

I am so appreciative of the fact that PHC is now in my home country (Liberia,and helping local production companies to fortify food before consumption..we are grateful to God firstly, and to you all for your sharpness of minds that the entire world is enjoying…

From the Editor

The Classy Awards

The CLASSY Awards is the largest social impact awards ceremony in the United States, highlighting the greatest champions of social progress. Once a year, top leaders from the social sector convene in San Diego to connect in an environment that drives collaboration around solving social problems.

" Hollywood has Oscar, Broadway has Tony, and now Philanthropy has the CLASSYs! "